Surgeons have used laparoscopic surgery to perform a variety of procedures. Such surgery, as compared to conventional surgery, reduces patient trauma, decreases patient recovery time and reduces the amount of post-operative care required.
To perform a laparoscopic procedure, a sufficient volume for the introduction of a laparoscope and other instruments must be provided by raising the abdominal wall from the organs enclosed in an abdominal cavity. Insufflation is typically obtained by pressurizing the abdominal cavity with a suitable gas, typically carbon dioxide. The presence of artificial gas in the peritoneal cavity is referred to as pneumoperitoneum.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art insufflator unit 10 including a housing 12 with a plurality of input elements 14a-14g and a display 16. The insufflator unit 10 includes a projecting flow output port 17 and a temperature connector 18.
FIG. 2 shows a prior art tube set 20 that includes an input connector 22 for connection to the flow output port 17 of the insufflator unit 10. The input connector 22 attaches to tubing 24. The tubing 24 of the tube set 20 includes a filter 26 provided thereon for filtering any backflow of gas/fluid. The distal end of the tubing 24 has a trocar 28 mounted thereto. The trocar 28 includes a needle type element 30 for insertion into the chest cavity of a patient to perform a surgical procedure.
A gas source (not shown) connects to the insufflator unit 10. The insufflator unit 10 controls the passage of gas therethrough and into the tube set 20. A small incision is made in the body of a patient, and one end of the trocar 28 is attached to a distal end of the tubing 24 and inserted into the abdominal cavity. The input connector 22 at the proximal end of the tube set 20 connects to the flow output port 17 of the insufflator unit that outputs the flow of gas.
In operation, the gas source provides a pressurized gas to the insufflator unit 10. A pressure regulator in the insufflator unit 10 regulates the pressure of the incoming gas and provides the gas to a valve system. The valve system includes a plurality of valves and other elements that provide a controlled flow of gas for output from the insufflator unit 10 to the tube set 20. The input elements 14a-14g are provided for adjustment of the flow of gas output from the insufflator unit 10.
The filter 26 is provided within the path of the tubing 24, and thus is an integral part of the tube set 20. The purpose of the filter 26 is to try to reduce the possibility of cross-contamination from different uses of the insufflator unit 10 with different patients. Besides cross-contamination, entry of body fluids into the insufflator unit 10 can result in repair costs. The entire tube set 20, including the filter 26 mounted thereon, is disposable.
The present invention is directed to preventing cross-contamination of patients by sterilizing a gas flow path within an insufflation device.